Lessons Learned from RSA 2015: Safeguarding Data with Control

A few weeks ago, I made a trip across the pond to one of the biggest U.S. security events of the year, the RSA Conference. The 400+ exhibitors pulled out all the stops, unveiling new products, displaying elaborate booth décor and giving away all sorts of prizes.

Attendees that stopped by Mimecast’s booth had the opportunity to spin a prize wheel for any number of giveaways, ranging from an American Express gift card to a golf tee, along with learning more about our recently-launched Secure Messaging service. At RSA, the market need for Secure Messaging was validated by the positive conversations we had with booth-goers and media and analyst influencers, including this one I had with ISMG Editor Tom Field.

There were a few recurring themes I noticed during conversations at the show, including during a keynote given by Microsoft’s Corporate VP of Trustworthy Computing, Scott Charney. For one, companies continue to see the value and benefits of migrating data to a third-party cloud provider. At the same time, though, they demand a certain level of control over their data and security measures. Scott likened this feeling to some people’s tendency to drive their own car to their desired destination, as opposed to flying there. In order to help companies strike a balance, the industry calls for complete transparency and “technically enforced trust boundaries.”

This sentiment is not unlike how we’ve designed Secure Messaging. With it, companies can set certain policies, such as a date in which a message will expire or a rule against the recipient being able to print a message. Visibility is also key, so we’ve made it easy for senders to track who’s read their messages and even recall them, if required. In addition, the message never leaves the Secure Messaging portal, so the sender retains control of the data the entire time.

Further to what Scott spoke about, and as re-affirmed in our Secure Messaging service, control is not just critical for helping IT administrators sleep soundly at night. It is control that allows companies to keep tabs on who has access to their data and lessen the chances that they are a victim of a breach. The trick here, though, is to not sacrifice the user experience in the process – for example, an employee should be able to send a secure email from his or her inbox without any clunky, productivity-hindering extra steps.

As was mentioned more than once at RSA, hackers are only becoming more advanced. It’s the industry’s job to adapt and innovate in order to mitigate the risk of malicious attacks, both for the protection of our data and our customers’ data.

If I didn’t get the chance to catch up with you this time around feel free reach out to me via LinkedIn or Twitter.

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